In a split instant, joy turned to shock. Despite securing yet another brilliant comeback from 0-3 down to recover to 6-6 with 20 seconds remaining to force a shootout, ‘Houdini’ found the scoreline suddenly adjusted from 6-6 to 5-7 and subsequently eliminated.
The reason? Swearing. Or perhaps rather, a natural exclamation to himself when Morris thought he had gone in-off the final black.
Big Brother is ALWAYS Watching…
Said Morris: ”I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am an animated and emotionally driven person and I have always been this way in the thirty years I have played pool.”
“I don’t remember swearing but if I did, it would have just been to myself as I realised I’d overhit the black and knew the white was going towards the corner pocket and it was just an automatic reaction and not aimed in any direction.”
“However, the referee heard and without having had any prior warning in the match, I was punished in the harshest possible way, with no discretion.”
“I understand the role referees have to play and I respect them for that – however, I am a firm believer that if they implement a rule, they must show consistency throughout. A clear example is the match next to me in which my close friend Phil Harrison was playing against Shaun Storry, Phil swore which everyone heard. No action was taken and this was mid-match. Not 6-6 with 20 seconds remaining.”
“Pool is a sport – like football and tennis and is something that we get emotionally invested in, so it is natural when all the physical practice, mental preparation and travelling – not to mention the fight to get back to even terms when in a split second, you realise you’ve overhit a shot and knowing all that work can be undone in milliseconds, so for emotional people like myself it’s a natural reaction to let that frustration out.
So my question to you is – and please be honest, would you as a referee have taken the decision to deduct the frame and subsequently the match and as a result, put a player out of the tournament?”
Watch the video below and decide for yourself…
“Maybe I ought to learn some swearing in foreign languages so I can let those moments of frustration out and get away without being punished!”
What do YOU think?
Make a habit of some words to use which won’t get you banned.
I know people who say ‘fudge it’ as their audience demands a change in tactic.